


Give and Take

by turnaround



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gladion curses every now and then, Lillie/Moon is a side pairing, M/M, mentions of other characters bc i'm weak for them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnaround/pseuds/turnaround
Summary: In which Lillie is somewhat supportive, Moon is an asshole, and Gladion indirectly introduces malasadas to Hau.Protractors, coupons, and crushes are involved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sylphid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylphid/gifts).



He would take any excuse not to be home nowadays, so the end of the year exams were a blessing rather than an annoyance that other students thought of them as. Therefore, the school library was his favorite place to be to chill out for the two weeks before the examination time.

His sister, Lillie, was in good hands too. She was also never home much, but that was because she spent most of her time with the best female volleyball player in their school. Moon struggled in academics a lot, mainly because she was mostly focused on obtaining an athletic scholarship, but still wanted to pursue the same college as Lillie so the two worked hard in improving their studies and being each other’s supports. It was sweet, really, though Gladion could do without seeing their affectionate displays. Hence, why he would rather be at the school library instead of joining them.

So here he was, looking at his math textbook with the most confused expression.

“Maybe I should have joined them,” he muttered under his breath, scratching the side of his head in frustration. Although both Lillie was younger by a year, she was still very ahead of herself.

Then again, he really could do without Moon trying to play footsie with his sister underneath the table and Lillie trying hard not to let out squeals whenever he did hang out with them. And Moon would always initiate these sorts of things in front of him just to rile him up for her own amusement.

Really, damn her.

Gladion groaned as his head fell on the table. He never was all that smart with school stuff, and he was content with just receiving average grades and winging his stuff. If only things weren’t so complicated with his mother right now, and if only Moon wasn’t a piece of shit, he would be either grabbing the malasadas Lillie enjoyed so much or playing video games back in his place.

Oh, well. This would only last two weeks, until his exams were over and done with. All he had to do was last until then, and then be prepared to leave the house for college.

 

*

 

The library was starting to get crowded as the days rolled by. Before he could even secure a cubicle of his own, they were all taken. So he had to settle for those open tables in the middle of the room, which he really disliked due to how much the students loved to have their group study sessions here. Couldn’t they just settle at some empty classroom or something?

Like, the three in front of him. He recognized them–-the trio that always stuck together in the middle of their classroom: the one with weird red spots of hair, the twin-tailed green-haired loudmouth, and the little blue one. The only benefit he was getting from them was understanding the bits of math he couldn’t get on his own from their conversation, but then they just had to start talking about the new malasada shop that opened up near the station and Gladion thought about finally repairing his broken earphones but didn’t have that much allowance on him for that at the moment, and he was starting to get hungry.

At least the one boy on his side of the table two seats away was being quiet. Or, rather, because he was unable to understand his own workload, which consisted of geometry and Gladion cringed at seeing the dumb ass triangles. He was so glad to have been done with that shit two years ago.

The kid frowned as he analyzed the problem before him. The frown only grew deeper as the seconds rolled by.

_Okay, kid. This question is so easy. Even someone like me remembers how to solve this._

The kid’s eyes then lit up and he reached down to his backpack next to him to retrieve something...

_You don’t even need your notes for this. Come on, kid._

...only to take out a protractor.

_Oh, for the love of._

“Look.” Gladion sat on the empty seat between them with his pencil in hand. He pointed at one of the triangles and then the other. “It’s the side-angle-side rule. These sets of sides are the same, and the angle in between. The triangles are just congruent that way.”

There was only silence that followed. Gladion looked to the side to take a look at the boy and realized that the boy was staring at him with a taken aback expression. Right, he had just suddenly come in and started explaining out of nowhere.

Before he could apologize or something, though, the boy turned back to his paper and looked back at the problem one more time. Well, it seemed his explanation was heard because the kid opened his mouth upon finally understanding the solution.

The boy turned back to him and grinned widely. “Hey, thanks! I would have been stuck on this problem for so long if it wasn’t for you! To think I was actually going to measure the angles!”

Another loudmouth, he noted. Although the boy did seem to actually understand, so it wasn’t for naught. Gladion just nodded without saying anything, mainly because he was kind of taken aback himself by how bright a grin could actually be on a person. He returned to his normal seat and kept his eyes glued on his own math, attempting to make sense of his own stuff as he tried to turn the trio’s talking into white noise.

It did work. Gladion found that he had fallen asleep without knowing and it was almost time for the school library to close up judging by how he was now the only one left in the room and it had gotten pretty dark outside. He packed up his belongings and stuffed them in his bag, not really caring about keeping his notes organized, and then noticed a post-it note besides his textbook.

 _Thanks for helping again! I owe you!_ , the note read. Gladion let out a sigh, not thinking the kid actually owed him, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

Just before he left, he checked his phone. 

> **[Lillie]** Gladion! I’m going to sleep over Moon’s place tonight. She has an exam tomorrow and I’m going to help her prepare for it so she doesn’t actually fail!

Gladion’s eye twitched. Instead of replying to his sister, he went to his contact list and looked for one certain name.

> **[Gladion]** Moon, you little shit, you better not think about doing anything inappropriate to my younger sister or I will have your head.
> 
> **[Moon]** Ugh, you and your sister complex. I won’t, asshole.

 

*

 

“Here!”

Gladion blinked, staring blankly at the paper bag shoved right in front of his face. Not knowing how exactly else to react or what exactly to do with it, he moved his head to the side to take a look at the brightly smiling boy holding the bag out to him–the same boy who was stumped on that easy geometry problem.

“You…” Honestly, Gladion really didn’t find himself wanting to get involved in these sorts of events. That, and nearby students were staring at them. “You want me to take it?”

The boy nodded enthusiastically, and somehow his smile became a lot sunnier. As if it wasn’t sunny enough already. Gladion raised a brow, wondering briefly if this was the ‘I owe you’ thing the kid was talking about from yesterday’s note. Probably was, although he honestly didn’t expect anything.

“Thanks,” was all he could simply say, unable to think of anything else to do. He took the paper bag and placed it besides his books.

The boy was still there. And looking expectant. Ugh.

“Well?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “Aren’t you going to look inside and see what I got you?”

Things like this were troublesome, but the only way to get by these events quickly was to just make them happen. So Gladion did just that, and was surprised to see malasada inside. He really didn’t expect this, and it was even from that new store that opened up.

“This is where you’re supposed to ask something like ‘How did you know I like malasadas!?’ or ‘Whoa you got me a malasada–-something I like!’”

Not that Gladion was going to say either of those sentences, and definitely not in the too-happy tone of voice the boy was using. Instead, he replied, “Are you stalking me?”

That caused the boy to frown, which oddly suited him too. “Gee, you’re welcome for the gift,” he said in a sarcastic voice. Huh, so this boy wasn’t just a bundle of sunshine like he seemed to be. “You could at least phrased that better. You know, those lines yesterday were really long!”

 _Not that I asked you to stand there for this_. But Gladion still knew better to not say that out loud, especially since he had already said something that was too much. “Okay, fine.” He crossed his arms. “How did you know I like malasadas?”

The grin was back. The boy placed his hands on his hips and looked proudly at him. “When the three from yesterday were talking about malasadas, I noticed you perked up. So I thought, hey I wonder what these malasadas are. And since I needed to owe you for yesterday, I decided to go while you took a beauty nap on the table. They’re actually really good! I’m shocked I never tried them before!” He brought his arms up behind his head and stood casually. “Anyways, I didn’t know what flavor you liked, so I just went for the recommended. It’s a sweet one. Though you don’t really seem like you have a sweet tooth…”

“It’s fine. I like sweets.” _Love_ sweets, really. He had a killer sweet tooth, and Lillie would always be the one to scold him for taking too many cookies from the jar when they were young. Not that he would ever admit it. Though, more importantly, this kid was actually more keen than he looked. “Thanks for it.”

“Finally, some gratitude!” Gladion narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Come on, that was a joke! Well, I’m gonna be on my way. Good luck with whatever you’re studying! It looked super confusing, like some foreign language but with weird numbers and symbols!”

 _It’s Calculus, and the hell, everything was in English._ But he kept that to himself because he didn’t need to prolong this conversation any longer. So he nodded and turned back to his work, but still saw the kid leave the library from the corner of his eye.

 

*

 

“You know,” Moon started, taking the biggest fry from the pile and shoving it in her mouth, “for such an average student and for a senior, you really study a lot.”

Gladion rolled his eyes. What better way to spend the Sunday with his favorite person. A total lie, because Moon would always be a piece of shit. How in the world did Lillie fall for such a person? “Shut it. I would rather get some good grades for once than flunk almost every single subject like you do.”

“Which I make up for with my sportsmanship and skill.” She smirked. “At least the teachers recognize my talent is elsewhere.”

“Guys,” Lillie whined, pouting in the usual way she does. “We came here to have fun, not to quarrel every second.”

Even Lillie herself was aware of how powerful her facial expressions could be, because Moon was weak to every single one of them. The pout was the ultimate weapon, of course. Those lovestruck eyes were gross. “How could I resist the pout? Okay, Gladion. Let’s call a truce for today. I can’t upset Lillie any more than I did already!”

Ugh, lovebirds. “Fine, whatever.”

Moon grinned, and went back to eating the fries. Not before feeding Lillie with one, which she took with a blush. Moon and her stupid wanting to publicly display her love for Lillie, and stupid Lillie for actually enjoying it.

And screw Moon for waving some fries in the air right in front of his bangs while Lillie ran off to the bathroom. He seriously wanted to kill her on the spot. Five seconds later and she was already taking advantage of the so-called “truce”.

But before he could actually do something about that, Lillie had come back to the table and clapped her hands with glee. “We should go to that new malasada shop that opened by the station a while back! I haven’t had a malasada in a long time, and it’s been awhile since we went to get some, Gladion!”

“They’re good there,” Gladion said without much thought, thinking back on the one he had a few days ago from that boy, whose name Gladion still didn’t know, come to think of it.

It was a little too quiet now, he then realized. He looked up to the two girls, only to see that Lillie looked both shocked and kind of upset. Moon was eyeing him dangerously for causing her girlfriend to make such an expression.

“You… You tried them without me?” Lillie eyes went downcast. “I thought getting malasadas together was our thing…”

 _Great going, big bro_ _asshole_ ,Moon mouthed, while rubbing her hand behind Lillie’s back to coax her. Of course Moon wouldn’t back him up. Did she ever?

“Lillie, I didn’t actually go there!” Gladion quickly said, hoping to reassure his sister. He did hate it when his sister was like this, especially when it caused her to be like this himself. “Someone I… uh, became somewhat–- kind of? Acquainted to? Got one for me as a form of gratitude.”

Moon raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s a lot of hesitation. Then, is this someone who doesn’t know you and decided to get you a malasada, out of all things, from the newest store to thank you for something? Wait…” She narrowed her eyes that now shown with disbelief. “You actually helped someone with something? You?”

Gladion scowled. Leave it to Moon to leave him sour comments. “Look, you ass.” This time, he grabbed a fry and shoved it to her face, then ate it. “Even I have the decency to help someone every now and then. It was more that this boy decided to do a dumbass thing and I couldn’t stand it anymore. You don’t need a protractor to prove a triangle!”

“Proving triangles?” Lillie questioned, now feeling better after getting into the story. “So this was geometry? Then this could someone who Moon might know since she knows almost everyone in her grade.”

“Oh, yeah.” At least Lillie’s statements made Moon forget he called her an ass seconds ago. “Describe this boy. I probably know who this guy is.”

We're all girls this nosy? Well, it wasn’t like he had much of a problem with them knowing this much. To whom else was he ever going to discuss this with? “He has dark-green colored hair and I’ve only seen him have it up. Around your heights, probably. Has an obnoxious smile and he should look into volume control in a library.”

Judging by Moon’s face, she instantly knew whom he was talking about. Even Lillie seemed to have a good idea. “Oh, Hau!” Moon realized. “Yeah, he’s a good guy, always doing his best with returning favors and all. I’m surprised, though, that he knew you liked malasadas. You said you just met him, yeah?”

Gladion nodded. Moon’s tone sounded fond, so she must have liked him a good amount and looked pretty close to him. “It was more that he overheard some others in the library talking about the new malasada shop and saw me listening onto them.”

“Hau is pretty observant with people,” Lillie said with a hum. “Hau is actually a really good friend of ours. Sometimes we have lunch together at school and even hang out after school! He’s really nice and fun to be around.”

“And the complete opposite of you,” Moon commented, bringing her hand to her chin in contemplation. “I would have never thought you guys would ever be acquainted, just because you don’t seem like you would ever talk to a person like Hau. You two are like on two ends of a spectrum.”

She was right on that. In any other situation, he wouldn’t have bothered with someone like Hau. Well, not that he would have bothered much with anyone, but definitely not someone whom was that different to him according to what his sister and Moon were saying.

But so far, it’s not like he had any problem with Hau. Maybe just too happy-go-lucky, but that was never too bad of a thing.

“I guess.” Gladion shrugged, not knowing what else to say on the matter. “Well, if you guys still want to go to that malasada shop, I don’t mind. Like I said, I haven’t been there yet myself.”

 

*

 

Another week of school started, but at least his exams would be over with by the end of this week and he didn’t have to bother frying his brain by the end of the day anymore. Although he couldn’t think of any other place to be, now that there was nothing else to do in the library afterwards.

Ever since having that chat with Lillie and Moon on Sunday about that boy, Hau, Gladion had subconsciously began to look out for him in the library. There were times he would just stare absentmindedly at the library doors to see if Hau would come in, and eventually Gladion would realize what he was doing and go back to his textbook with a slightly flushed face that would get hotter the more he did it. He scolded himself for thinking too much on the matter.

It wasn’t until much later in the week that Hau had finally come into the library, which was also probably good because most of his last final exams were finished by then and he wasn’t too distracted as Hau wasn’t there. Gladion spotted him as he came, of course (also choosing to sit on the open tables every single day so that he could be aware of the doors opening and closing instead of the available cubicles he longed just a week ago), and hurried back to his work to not get caught for noticing.

Just as he thought ( ~~ _hoped_~~ ), Hau had sat at the same table as him. Mostly because he had glared harshly at that colorful trio who tried to sit on the table with him, but that was a detail no one else had to know. When sitting down, Hau had flashed him the same grin Gladion remembered from their last encounter, and… Okay, a part of him did like that grin just because looking at it made him felt somewhat at ease with the world.

––Not that he was ever going to admit any of this.

_Oh, wait, right. Hau was finally here._

“Hey,” Gladion said, grabbing Hau’s attention as the boy was digging into his backpack.

Hau blinked, seeming a bit surprised from being called. “Yes?”

Gladion dug into his hoodie pocket and grabbed the small piece of paper that had been in his hold since Sunday. “Here, this is for you.”

Hau blinked again, confused and hesitant, but took the thin paper anyway and briefly looked over the contents. “This is a discount coupon for–for the malasada shop by the station?” He sounded so confused, not having a clue about why he was receiving this at all.

“For, you know, the malasada from last week.” God, this was pretty embarrassing, and Gladion was sure some nearby students within hearing range was not so discreetly staring at what was going on.

“Oh,” Hau drawled out, and then let out a gentle chuckle. “But I got you the malasada because you helped me out with my geometry homework! Now I owe you again!”

“You don’t have to. I just happened to go to that malasada place and they were distributing these out. You said you tried malasadas for the first time, so I figured I’d give this to you so you could get more.”

Which was just a cover up, because Gladion knew that he himself was the biggest fan of malasadas and would have kept that discount coupon and all other coupons that were distributed for himself and only for himself. He even had a hard time giving one of these things to his own younger sister.

But, well, maybe Moon and Lillie talking about Hau for so long, even after they left the fast food restaurant and all throughout the remainder of that day, had some influence. They had made Hau sound like a saint the whole time, and it was a known fact that these sort of people deserved more. Common knowledge.

“Thanks,” Hau said so warmly, interrupting Gladion from his thoughts, and… Holy shit, Hau was showing one of those smiles that was going to be really hard to forget.

Dammit. Gladion had it so bad.

 

*

 

His last exam was finally over, and Lillie declared that they should celebrate with pastries and malasadas. So they went to that malasada shop by the station and ordered every single flavor malasada in bundles, and a large cheesecake to add to that.

“I think we ordered too much,” Moon said with difficulty from a full stomach, and burped right after.

“Told you,” Gladion responded with an eye roll. “Could you at least keep your burps to yourself? You sound gross.”

Moon scoffed. “And let them out from the other end? Yeah, no thanks.”

“But if it wasn’t for the burp, I would have never noticed you guys were here!”

This voice was one that all three of them were familiar with. They turned to the side of the booth, and saw Hau standing in front of the table with a friendly grin.

“Hau!” Lillie cried in joy, getting up to hug her friend, who hugged back with the same enthusiasm. “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?”

Hau whipped out the discount coupon he had received from Gladion yesterday and was about to explain, but Moon gestured him to sit down with them. “That’s nice and all, but we ordered too much so help yourself. All of us are full, and this asshole,” Moon paused to lazily point at Gladion, “sitting across me won’t let me burp in peace.”

Gladion scowled at her, and Hau laughed at the interaction. “I didn’t know you guys were acquainted, though. How do you know each oth–- Actually,” Hau stared right at Gladion, and Gladion felt his face growing slightly warmer from the eye contact, “are you perhaps Gladion?”

“Y-Yeah,” he muttered, more focused on trying to calm his fastening heart rate.

“Oh! I didn’t realize when we first met!” Hau sat himself on the space next to Gladion and flashed a toothy smile. “Then you’re Lillie’s older brother! I knew Lillie had one, but I didn’t recognize right away that it was you. Thanks again for the coupon, by the way! If you hadn’t given it to me, I wouldn’t have met you guys here!”

Gladion probably would have kept a better composure and might have succeeded in calming himself down, but of course Hau had to sit right next to him and show off his really bright smile _right at him_ and holy shit, Gladion had never thought that a smile could actually suit someone this well?

From the corner of his eye, he could see Moon staring at them with that knowing and teasing look in her eye. Perfect. Just freaking perfect.

“But why did you guys purchase so much?” Hau asked, tilting his head and looking back at the two girls. Gladion cursed at himself for witnessing the head tilt. “There are so many malasadas on the table! And a hefty cheesecake!”

“Lillie’s idea,” Moon said, still keeping that wide smile on her face while still staring right at Gladion. “She wanted to celebrate Gladion’s last ever exam as a senior.”

“Whoa!” Hau looked at him _again_ , eyes sparkling with awe. “No wonder you were at the library the few times we met, and easily helped me out with my math! I wish I knew so I could have gotten you something too!”

“It’s not… necessary.” Not that Gladion would have treasured whatever Hau would have gotten him and kept it safe for the rest of his life. “The thought is appreciated, though.”

Fortunately, Hau looked away from him again, which allowed Gladion to let out the breath he was holding. If only he could go back to being nonchalant around Hau, like the first two times they conversed. It was all Moon and Lillie’s fault for talking so much about Hau, and also his own fault for actually anticipating more future interactions with this boy.

“I actually came to grab some malasadas on the go, so I could share them with my old man,” Hau said, growing sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Would it be alright if I take some of these if you’re not going to have them?”

Lillie happily nodded. “It’s all yours! Come on, Hau. Let’s go get a box for you so you can take them. I’ll help you!”

“Thanks, Lillie!” Hau stood up and waved at Moon and Gladion. “It was nice to see you guys here! I hope you have fun! And congrats again on finishing up your exams, Gladion!”

Once Hau was gone, Moon turned to Gladion and let out a laugh that sounded way too obnoxious. “So that’s where _your_ discount coupon went! No wonder you said you didn’t have it on you!”

“I _really_ hope you go to hell.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if moon had a favorite character from haikyuu, 100% it would be kuroo or bokuto.

His exams were over now, and the last remaining month or so would consist of not much work left over and barely any homework. Gladion still had no desire to be home, since he still felt a bit uncomfortable in the setting, but at least his mother was still giving him and his sister enough allowance to get through the weeks. And with how much he has now, it was time to break out of the earphone phase and enter the advanced world of nice headphones.

He was on his way to the closest tech store after school the following day after Moon and Lillie discovered about his silly crush on Hau, and Moon had been texting him stupid Disney memes all night saying how this was too magical and too unreal to be true. He ended up having to block her so he could sleep in peace.

Except Moon decided to go straight to his house before school started and told him that she would send Hau hints every single day about Gladion’s crush on him. And he knew she would do that without hesitation because she was shitty Moon, so he had no choice to unblock her and Lillie was glad that they were getting along so early in the morning. But she didn’t know the full story, and Gladion wasn’t able to tell her because Moon gave _that_ look.

Seriously, screw her.

Anyways, he was on a mission to hunt for nice headphones that would last him a while. He was thinking about getting either red- or black-colored headphones, except his thoughts shifted to Hau’s hair color and figured a dark shade of green wasn’t bad either.

And, well, he spotted Hau inside of a store he was just passing by. From the looks of it, Hau was replenishing on school supplies at the final month of school, which was kind of odd, but this was a stationery store. Hau then grinned, probably finding what he was looking for, and took it off of the shelf.

It was a protractor… of all things.

Hau then looked up to go to a different part of the store, but looking up meant taking a look out the store front window, and their gazes met. Hau smiled so bright and waved so enthusiastically that he bumped his arm into the person next to him. Gladion snorted.

After what looked like a brief apology, Hau put up his pointer finger, gesturing for Gladion to give him a second. He saw Hau rush to the counter, pay for the protractor, and bounce in his steps out of the shop.

“Gladion!” Hau greeted warmly. “What are you doing here? Are you out to shop for school supplies, too?”

“Not that I need any for the last month of school,” Gladion replied, raising a brow. “Did you buy that protractor so you could measure the angles when proving triangles?”

“That was once!” Hau huffed, crossing his arms in a manner that reminded him of Lillie whenever she got mildly annoyed. “And I broke my old protractor today when I tried pulling it out of my bag. It got stuck with some of my things, so it cracked in half, and here I am because I need it for not just proving triangles!”

“Right,” Gladion said sarcastically, but still kept his tone playful. He thanked whatever protractor god there was for allowing this to happen, and of course for their first instance of interaction all due to Hau’s old protractor and Hau’s kind of dumb mind process.

“Anyway! If you’re not doing anything, I was going to go to the malasada shop today and use that coupon! Do you want to come with me?”

Huh. Well, in that case, his headphones could definitely wait. It wasn’t like he was in any rush to get them, and grabbing malasadas with Hau sounded so much better. “Yeah, sure,” he answered as nonchalantly as possible, doing his best to suppress the smile that was tugging hard at the corners of his lips.

*

  


“So what are your plans after high school?” Hau asked, while studying the menu board and deciding on which malasada bundle to get. Gladion, of course, wanted to go for the sweet bundle, but said that Hau should pick no matter how many times Hau persisted on allowing Gladion to choose.

“I already got into a college two hours away from here.” He wondered to himself if he would have picked a closer college to attend if he had met Hau sooner. “Guess you can say going away from home and having a bit of my own time sounded tempting.”

“Ah,” Hau hummed in understanding. “Congrats on your acceptance, then! You should come visit here if you can during your breaks. I’m sure Lillie would want to see you often. When she did talk about you, she always used a fond tone. I kind of wanted to meet you because of that, but hey! Things worked out in the end!”

Gladion only nodded, because he had to bite the inside of his mouth to prevent a grin from escaping. Damn, Moon and Lillie were right when they said Hau was probably the most pleasant person to be around. The boy had no filter when it came to saying nice things. An actual saint.

“Hey, Gladion,” Hau started, turning to Gladion with that friendly smile of his. “What drink do you want? My treat for the coupon!”

He knew Hau would be extra stubborn to the end if he refused, so he said, “A caramel frapuccino.”

“Got it! You could go sit down first. I’ll bring over the things when they come out.”

Thank god Hau insisted on letting him go ahead. Gladion did just that, grabbing the nearest booth by the window, and took a seat. When he did, however, he immediately got a text and he was glad to have anything to distract his mind.

He frowned right away when he saw the sender. 

> **[Moon]** Look at you! On a date with Hau! Oooooh OOOOOH!

How the– What the hell? Gladion poked his head out of the booth and saw Moon poking her head out from the booth at the far end of the store. She had that sly look on her face, ready to spy on them. What was this, a television show for her to enjoy? 

> **[Gladion]** I demand an explanation. 
> 
> **[Moon]** Chillax! I was already here before you came in. This place isn’t just for you and your crush that I still can’t believe you have. You of all people lol  
>  **[Moon]** I’m just waiting for Lillie and you just happened to waltz in with Hau  
>  **[Moon]** I thought you were on your way to buy headphones?
> 
> **[Gladion]** I bumped into Hau on the way.
> 
> **[Moon]** OHOHO  
>  **[Moon]** OHOHOHOHO  
>  **[Moon]** YOUR PRIORITIES SHIFTED  
>  **[Moon]** HOW CUTE  
>  **[Moon]** I’LL BE YOUR WINGMAN  
>  **[Moon]** I ASKED YOUR SISTER OUT  
>  **[Moon]** SO I GOT EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD OF PLAY  
>  **[Moon]** OH LOOK HE’S COMING BACK. COMPLIMENT HIM ON A GOOD JOB

“Sorry that took a while!” Hau set the tray down, careful not to spill their drinks and Gladion quickly shoved his phone into his pocket. Hau’s drink seemed to be lemonade, which was just way too sour for Gladion’s taste. “I got the sweet malasada bundle because I remember you saying how you liked sweets a while back.”

Wow. Hau really did pay close attention to people. And he even bought the biggest size frapuccino, which was really considerate. “Thanks,” Gladion ended up mumbling, feeling way too flattered. He could tell Moon was watching them, laughing to herself, because his phone was vibrating intensely from his pants. “You could have gotten whatever malasada flavor you wanted, though.”

“It’s okay!” Hau sat himself down and put on a huge smile. “I couldn’t decide for the longest time, so remembering your liking for sweet stuff helped me out! And I haven’t tried this flavor yet, so that’s a bonus!”

Gladion wanted to bury his face into his hoodie. He was sure his cheeks were scarlet red from heating up right now. Thank god that at least half of his face was covered enough from his long bangs. Just how was it possible for someone to be _this_ kind?

“Hold on. I’m going to go to the restroom.”

Hau nodded. “Sure!”

He had to flee for a moment. Staying with Hau for an extended period of time was too much for him to take, and he was getting tired of the spamming of messages. He walked to where Moon was sitting, which was fortunately where the restrooms were.

“Stop spamming me,” Gladion hissed at her the second he slid into the empty side.

Moon shrugged, not taking any offense to the tone. “And who’s the lame one who had to run off because his heart was going to burst any second? Yeah, you.”

Instead of retorting back at her like he usually would have whenever they got into one of their dumb quarrels, Gladion let out a pathetic groan and dropped his forehead onto the table, not caring about the pain.

Moon, being the awesome friend she was, snickered. “Wow, I’m honestly amazed by all this. I never figured you would have actually had feelings for someone. Hau must be a special one.”

“It’s your fault, and my sister’s,” Gladion murmured, propping his head up just a bit to stare her down. “If you hadn’t said all those good things about him that day, I probably would have never gotten so expectant to see him in the library every afternoon.”

“Kind of glad we said all that, then.” This time, Moon gave one of those light-hearted smiles of hers that Lillie had gushed about so much back before the two began dating. Just like Lillie had said, that smile was pretty damn reassuring. “Hau’s a pretty good guy. He’s patient with everything and mad easy-going. Pretty contradictory to your personality, but I think you both learn a thing or two from each other. Find a balance and all that, ya know? Which is why I want to be supportive about this.”

Gladion’s expression softened from the words. It was rare for him to hear stuff this nice from the usual asshole Moon was, so he made sure to keep the words in heart. Of course, he did realize the things she said. From their first meeting he was already able to tell just how different he was from Hau, but it was probably Hau’s personality that had Gladion not mind the guy all the much.

“But I’m still going to spam you with memes.”

Dammit, Moon. He could never think so good of her for so long. “I hate you. So much.”

“Yeah, I got that for months now. You should go back to Hau before he thinks you’re taking a major shit.”

“Oh my god.” And still he was questioning every single day without fail why his sister liked this piece of shit so much. “Spam me again and I’ll tear your limbs apart.”

“Ooh, how scary,” Moon scoffed, and then made some stupid ghostly motion to mock him further.

Gladion stuck his middle finger out at her before making his way back to Hau, who was scrolling through his Instagram feed and liking every single picture that the people he was following posted and making sure to read every pictures description. Of course he would do something like this, and he knew just how much Hau appreciated every post.

“Oh, Gladion! You’re back!” Gladion blinked, not aware that Hau was now looking at his side where Gladion was still standing. “Haha, is it weird that I like every single Instagram picture I come across? I hope it doesn’t. I just really like what everyone posts.”

 _That’s fucking cute and everyone should be aware of how supportive you are of them._ Gladion didn’t say that; he still had enough control of himself to not spit out something that would ruin his chances with his crush. Instead, he said, “I don’t think you should worry about that. Besides, everyone likes receiving a like or two on their posts.”

“That’s what I think!” Hau grinned, and then force quit the app. “Well, that’s enough scrolling for now. How about we finally eat? I’m starving!”

“Yeah, sure.” Leave it to Hau to not touch a single malasada yet, so that they could eat the dessert pile together. Gladion was sure Moon would devour the whole thing, and Lillie would even start eating without him. “Hold on. Let me just text someone really quickly.”

“Take your time!”

So Gladion sat down across Hau and took out his phone, which was filled with more memes sent by Moon, and she had made a group chat that included Lillie as well and even Lillie started joining in the fun.

> **[Gladion]** Moon, you better sneak out of here right now and meet my sister somewhere else. I’m not going to let the two of you meddle.
> 
> **[Lillie]** Aww, I was so excited to see you and Hau too!! :(
> 
> **[Moon]** You’re lucky I ship you two that much. Watch me ninja my way out  
>  **[Moon]** LILLIE DARLING LETS GO TO THE ARCADE SO I CAN CRUSH THAT CRANE GAME FINALLY AND GET YOU THAT REALLY CUTE FOX PLUSH
> 
> **[Lillie]** DON’T BREAK THE MACHINE

Just in case Moon failed, Gladion made a pathetic attempt to avert Hau’s attention away by talking about the stupid painting of a hibiscus flower on the wall, but Hau got excited and started to talk about how he was named after the very flower. Just that fact got Gladion to love hibiscus flowers instantly.

And just like Moon said she would, she did “ninja her way out” by just walking out the store when Hau was facing away from her. Before she left, however, she texted Gladion to quickly check the window outside. He did and regretted it instantly because she just made kissy faces and ran out before Hau could notice her.

“Hey, Gladion? Why is your face suddenly red? Are you feeling sick?”

Curse his pale skin.

*

  


Not even caring that it wasn’t the sophomore’s lunch break, Moon skipped her class and casually strolled into Gladion’s classroom the next day. Not that any of the other seniors cared, because screw anything that happens in the last few days of school left. But this was Moon, so Gladion cared of course and glared her down when she sat on the seat in front of him that was conveniently empty.

“Nope!” Moon grabbed Gladion’s hand that was supporting his head and rammed it on top of his mouth to block any complaints Gladion had coming. “Shut up for just a second, because I’m your wingman and you have to listen to me and every single step.”

This girl was dangerous, and she could easily announce to his whole class that he had a crush on one of the sophomores in the school and turning this into gossip for everyone to hear was the last thing on his list. So he nodded, and Moon grinned and set his hand away from his face.

“What the hell do you have planned?” he asked, making sure to talk in a hushed whisper so no one else could hear.

“Weeeeeell,” Moon drawled out, creating a smile that screamed she had a good idea of a plan. Oh no. “So from what you’ve told me about your encounters with Hau when we were talking on the phone yesterday, I noticed a trend.”

Well, Gladion didn’t expect this. “Uh huh,” he gestured Moon to continue.

“You guys are always giving stuff in return, right? And from the looks of it, it’s your turn. For Hau paying for your drink and all, right? So how about continuing this trend? Gives you an excuse to see him more often for now, until you get to the point where you’ll be texting kissy and heart emojis to each other every single night!” She slammed her hands on top of his desk in her own excitement. “Flawless!”

The action got them stares, and Gladion had to glare all of them until they were all turned away. Which wasn’t hard, since his classmates were familiar with him being pretty intimidating and cold.

“Zip it,” he hissed harshly at her. “I could do without the whole school and Hau finding out anything about this, at least for now.” He could feel his burning beginning to heat up just from thinking about having to confess to Hau when it got to that point. “It’s not that bad of a plan. I could use the excuse to see him more, sure. Minus the whole emoji thing.”

“Yeah, you’re not much of an emoji person,” Moon agreed. “But you know, I honestly thought you would be more in denial about liking someone romantically. I don’t know, I always thought you would if you did end up having feelings for someone.”

“I like him. I know that. What good would denying that do? That would just be a waste of time.” He folded his arms and gave her a look. “The only problem I have with all this is telling him because I’m sure Hau doesn’t even think of me that way, and I would rather see if he ever would through future interactions.”

“Makes sense, makes sense,” she hummed in thought. “So it’s just going about it. At least we’re sure if you keep repaying him, then he’ll take it and then want to owe you. So like a give-and-take thing is going on between you two, which I think is really sweet.”

Gladion rolled his eyes, but he was glad that they did have this cycle of interactions going on right now. If not for this, then he wouldn’t have any excuse to see Hau. “So now that you know my dilemma, are you going to help think of something as my so-called wingman?”

“Duh! I signed up for this!” She closed her eyes tightly and scrunched her nose while thinking hard, and it only took a second for her to reopen them. “I got it! Here’s what you’re going to do. You have to get him something as repayment for the large drink he got you and for the extra amount of malasadas, right? Which will be an invitation to the cherry blossom exhibition at the Malie Garden that’s at the end of this week! I know it’s not your thing, but imagine Hau there.”

Right, that event that happened year round and one that he was never interested in because of the crowding of people and the blooming of trees was just a natural thing that was too overhyped. But now, he could already picture Hau looking at the sight and getting excited and— Wow, Hau’s face would be so bright and sweet and he could spend the whole day just staring at the smile…

“You’re about to drool.”

Gladion slapped his hand over his mouth and fought hard to prevent his blush from spreading all over his face. He hoped that none of his classmates noticed.

Moon snickered. “So I’m guessing that’s a yes?”

He wished he could punch her or something, but Moon had crazy strength as the volleyball team’s ace and he knew better than to invoke her. “Yes,” Gladion said with gritted teeth. “But how the hell are you going to grab tickets? I thought those exhibition tickets were long sold out by now.”

“They are,” she responded way too nonchalantly with a shrug. “There’s a girl in my class. Name’s Acerola. Her uncle is the chief of the city’s police, who is in charge of the security for the exhibition. Since I’m hella good friends with Acerola, I can ask her to tell her uncle to make some arrangements. So I’m thinking I’ll give you my and Lillie’s tickets. I’ll just stroll in with Lillie after getting confirmation.”

Okay, so maybe Moon wasn’t a bad wingman. More like he now owed his life to her. “This is,” he paused, letting out a sigh of defeat. “This is really thoughtful of you, Moon. Really, thanks.”

“Hey, no sweat.” She gave him a thumbs up. “You and I may be assholes to each other, but you still are a decent person. And you deserve this much for putting up with me and your sister flirting with each other in front of you for a whole year.”

He rolled his eyes, but it was still a bit nice to know that Moon was aware and kept that fact in the back of her mind. At least she was somewhat considerate of her actions.

“Just come over my place tonight so I can give you the tickets,” Moon told him. “And kick some noobs’ asses on Overwatch. It’s been freaking long since we last played together, and you’re finally done with your exams!”

More like Moon was the noob, and he and his online friends (Team Skull, they called themselves) had to make sure she wasn’t dying all the time. But now he had no right to get pissed at her and she was taking full advantage of that. “Fine, fine.”

*

  
  


It seemed that Moon had practiced a lot during the time he wasn’t active in the game, though he did find out that Guzma and Plumeria were helping her improve while he had been absent. Lillie had come over as well, and had gotten the basics of the game as well. Though she was mostly too excited about the new plan of her brother trying to woo her friend, so she had immediately gotten contact with Acerola, who was also enthusiastic about helping out.

In the end, Gladion had gotten the tickets and Moon and Lillie were allowed to stroll in the exhibition without a problem. The tickets were slightly crumbled, thanks to Moon’s carelessness of hanging onto important items, but they were still in a presentable condition. He decided to give Hau the cleaner, less wrinkled one.

He was hoping to hand Hau the tickets in a more quiet and private situation, but what were the odds of bumping into the boy in the city out of nowhere? Sure, he had gotten extremely lucky the last time, but he had to be sure to give Hau the tickets before the event rolled in.

“This is why you gotta get his number,” Moon deadpanned the day before the cherry blossom festival. “I can’t believe after all this time, you didn’t get it. You know I do have it too, right?”

Lillie was having a study session with some girl named Hapu. Something about how Hapu lacked a bit in biology, and the two had an upcoming final exam before the school year was over. Which left Moon tagging along her ‘number one best friend’, and Gladion had groaned being called that title.

“I’m aware,” he said, frowning deeply. “I’d rather get it from Hau himself, though I had the worst luck trying to find him.”

“Then you should be like me and ditch your class during our lunchtime,” she replied, shrugging. “Just hope Hau doesn’t have plans tomorrow after school when you do find hi– Oh wait, isn’t that him?”

They were crossing the street, but that sentence had taken Gladion aback and wasn’t aware of the sudden dip in the street. He would have fallen, if not for Hau catching him with his arm and hoisting him back on his feet. Holy shit, Hau was a lot stronger than he looked.

“I saw you guys from the other side of the street!” Hau exclaimed happily, dragging the two back to the sidewalk. “But are you okay, Gladion? You should watch your step!”

“Yeah,” Gladion responded lamely, trying hard to not to blush vividly and also trying to ignore Moon’s snickering.

“Good timing, Hau!” Moon nudged Gladion a bit too hard on the side, causing him to choke. “This wonderboy has a present for you!”

Hau tilted his head with curious eyes, and Gladion had to bite the insides of his mouth to not smile at how ridiculously adorable that action was. “A present?”

Gladion placed his hands in his hoodie, where he kept the two tickets. He gingerly grabbed the ticket meant for Hau and took it out. “For the meal you paid for last time,” he mumbled, averting his gaze elsewhere. Why was it so difficult to match eyes with a crush? “They’re tickets for the cherry blossom exhibition tomorrow at Malie Garden. You… You’re not busy then, I hope.”

“Nope!” Gladion peeked over just a bit to catch Hau grinning widely as he took the ticket. Oh fuck, big mistake. His cheeks were becoming extremely warm. “Wow! How did you get these tickets? They sell out so fast! I never managed to get my hands on them! You really are a wonderboy!”

Moon’s snickering was growing louder by the second. How he really wanted to kill her this very moment. “D-Don’t worry about the details,” Gladion said, shoving his hands back into his hoodie. “After school, I’ll meet you at the entrance of the school.”

“Along with me!” Moon chimed in, holding up her palm. “I’m going with my beautiful Lillie, so us four can get there together. Totally cool with that idea, eh buddy?”

“No kidding!” Hau high-fived Moon, proceeding to do their special handshake, which Gladion was pretty impressed with. “This is so sweet! Now I don’t have to look up pictures on Instagram to see how it was going to be! Thank you so, so much Gladion! You’re the best!”

Technically, Moon was for allowing all this to happen. But Moon was letting him indulge in the glory and praise, so Gladion just accepted the compliment with a nod. Now if only time could be sped up thrice as fast.

*

  


It didn’t, but Friday’s school day came to a close eventually. Lillie had met up with him at his classroom after the final bell rang and proceeded to tell him that she and Moon were going to be leaving him and Hau once they got to the garden because they have to go into the area Nanu was stationed at in order to get in.

In other words, the girls were going to part from him and Hau right from the beginning and not bother to meet them inside the site at all. Gladion was now going to be alone with Hau the whole time, which was pretty awesome, but now he had to be sure not to make a fool out of himself on his own.

“Look, there they are!” Lillie said happily, already waving to her girlfriend and running over to her. Moon swung Lillie around as they hugged, and Gladion found himself imagining himself and Hau in that way.

Okay, he hoped that would happen eventually. As embarrassing as that was, he didn’t mind if it was Hau.

“You guys ready?” Moon asked, making a quick gesture with her head for Gladion to stand next to Hau. He did just that, and Hau flashed a bright smile over.

How the hell was this boy still single? But at the same time, thank god he was.

“I’ve been ready since yesterday!” Hau said with a laugh. “I’ve been wanting to go every year of my life, practically. I can’t believe I get to finally go see the cherry blossoms! And with my closest friends!”

Close friend. Damn, just a friend.

“Save the excitement for until you get there, Hau!” Lillie giggled. “It’s always fun to go with special company, trust me.”

In which she actually meant: _you’re going to have a fun time with my brother, whom I seriously hope will be special to you because this whole plan is for you two to get together._ Not that Hau needed to know that in depth just yet.

The walk to the garden wasn’t too far; just a good twenty minutes from the school. Although Moon seemed to purposely lead them to the narrower streets, so that it would be her and Lillie walking hand-in-hand in the front while Gladion and Hau walked behind them. Those whole twenty minutes, Hau was engaged in a conversation with the girls and Gladion just paid immense how seriously close his hand was next to Hau’s. His fingers twitched the whole time.

When they got there, Moon got behind the boys and pushed them forward to the entrance.

“Lillie and I won’t be going in this way,” she started saying when Hau gave her a confused look. “We’re going in a secret passage and enjoy the rest of the day by ourselves so you guys have fun!”

With those parting words, Moon grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and ran off to the backside, leaving Hau unable to say anything in response. So instead, Hau turned to Gladion and blinked his eyes.

“Officer Nanu, Acerola’s uncle, is going to get them in. They don’t have actual tickets to the place,” he explained.

“Ohhh,” Hau drawled out in awe. “Well, then I guess that just leaves us two together to explore!” Hau grinned widely and linked his arm with Gladion’s, who flushed from the sudden contact. “Come on! Let’s go in!”

Eventually, they did separate when they reached the stalls. Hau wanted to go to almost each and every one, and Gladion did eventually learn that Hau was horrible when it came to mini games. But Hau was never fully discouraged, as he seemed he was having fun more than anything and was always smiling as he played.

Gladion did end up taking over most of the time and winning the prizes. There was this decently cute yellow mouse-looking plush doll, and Hau was ecstatic upon receiving it. Cliche as it sounded, Gladion was just glad to be able to see Hau having a good time. Hau’s joy was pretty infectious, after all.

That was, until he got a sudden text message. Rather, a stream of text messages which only one person in his whole entire contact list (which wasn’t a lot) would send.

> **[Moon]** Oh ye Wonderboi!  
>  **[Moon]** Omfg  
>  **[Moon]** I’m totally calling u that from now on  
>  **[Moon]** Already changed ur name 8)  
>  **[Moon]** Anyways  
>  **[Moon]** I forgot to tell u before but  
>  **[Moon]** You better hurry tf up  
>  **[Moon]** Get the cutie’s number  
>  **[Moon]** Cause ya kno, Ilima? The hotshot student council prez? Mr. Pretty Boy dubbed by practically the whole school? Except from me bc your sister is the most cute of all. I’m sure he’s in ur class too  
>  **[Moon]** Yea, Mister Hotshot has his eyes on Hau, so I’ve heard  
>  **[Moon]** And ya know, his reputation is skyrocket high good af  
>  **[Moon]** I’m sure u know where this is going

Fuck. Of course he knew about Ilima. He was the smartest guy in the class, never really had to study because he was amazing at absorbing information, so his time was spent well with his student council duties. Was there even a chance against a hotshot guy like Ilima?

“Gladion, you alright? Your eyes suddenly turned really intense! Are you tired? We could take a break somewhere if you want to.”

He looked up and saw Hau staring at him with the most concerned and worried expression, which made him feel loads better to the point that he was able to muster up a small smile.

“I’m fine.” At least Gladion one-upped Mr. Pretty Boy currently. Who was the one currently enjoying the once a year scenic event with the cutest boy in school? That’s right, he was. Take that Hotshot Ilima.

“We’ve been walking around for awhile anyway,” Hau nodded. “Why don’t we go to the lake area and take a breather there for a while?”

“Sure.” Though he could have two-upped Ilima if this was actually considered a date.

*

  
  


When they did get to the lake, the two seated themselves on the bench by the water’s edge. Gladion could now see why this event was so overhyped; it was the perfect kind of scenery to spend with friends, a significant other, and family. That, and cherry blossoms were picturesque. Hau had already taken so many pictures with his phone camera and his Polaroid camera.

Hau took out a paper bag, which unsurprisingly had malasadas. He did mention that he stopped by the shop before school, so that he could enjoy them with everyone. Although it was just them two now, but it was more pleasant this way without Moon around.

“Are you excited about graduating?” Hau then asked after a moment of comfortable silence. “The graduation ceremony is just around the corner, right? Are your parents going to be going to see you?"

Gladion tensed at that. Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice, if the two did come. “I don’t think so,” he answered, lowering his half-eaten malasada. “It’s kind of complicated right now. It’s pretty much why Lillie and I try to not go back home after school as much as possible.”

“O-Oh.” Gladion looked to his side to see that Hau now had his head bowed down and was staring at his lap. “That’s why you were at the library a lot after school then. Sorry, I had no idea.”

“It’s fine,” Gladion reassured. The least he wanted was for Hau to blame himself. “You didn’t know, and it’s a past issue now.”

There was another moment of silence, although much awkward than before. Eventually, Hau did break it by asking with a soft tone, “Do you want them to still go?”

Gladion let out a long sigh. “I… I guess so. What child doesn’t want their parents going to see them graduate from high school? Well, moreso just one of them in my case at the very least.”

Hau nodded. He looked as if he understood the sentiment completely. “That’s true. You just want to show them that you’ve made it so far, that you’re pretty much ready to take on the world.” He turned his gaze back to Gladion and smiled warmly. “Right?”

Gladion knew he didn’t— _wasn’t_ ever going to trade this very moment for anything else. Just being next to Hau was comforting, and he was thankful that there was such a good person such as Hau to fall for.

For the first time in months, Gladion laughed.

“Thanks,” he said after his laughter died down. “Guess I didn’t know how much I needed someone else to understand. I did have my sister, but more importantly she had Moon to help her.”

There was no response for a while, so he turned to Hau and noticed that the boy was looking at him with slightly widened eyes and in awe. Hau seemed to catch himself right away, and replaced his current expression with gentle eyes and a smile.

“You still have them,” Hau pointed out, and chuckled. “You know, Gladion. Moon and Lillie may have not said too much about you, mainly because I didn’t know you much myself then, but I know that you’re extremely important to them. And you know, I’m glad we had a chance meeting. I got to learn more about you, and you are a fun and cool person to be around! No matter how much Moon had called you a prickly pear whenever she did talk about you. But now I know that’s an affectionate thing.”

Hau paused to brush off a stray hair hanging from Gladion’s bangs. “You should laugh more, too. It really suits you.”

Gladion’s face was burning. He didn’t need a mirror to show him just how red his face had become. But Hau didn’t say anything and only offered the most friendliest and calming of smiles.

“I’m going to miss you when you go off to college,” Hau then said, turning back to look at the lake. The smile turned a bit bittersweet. “I wish we had known each other sooner. It would have been really fun—you, Moon, Lillie, and me. Somehow, I just know we would make a really great group. Don’t you think so?”

Gladion tried to picture that, and the mental image wasn’t so hard to imagine. He knew Hau and Moon would be the loudest ones, talking about whatever came up on their mind and get into friendly competitions of every kind. He could picture Lillie cheering for them both in the background, and himself on the side just comfortable where he was. Maybe he would join in occasionally and enjoy the fun.

“You’ll visit often, yeah?”

Of course. Even if it wasn’t a promise, it was something he intended to keep. “If I didn’t, Moon would probably make the trip to my school and personally drag me back.”

Hau laughed at that, agreeing wholly. “It’s because you guys are best friends! And I might just have to join her on that quest if you don’t come visit the three of us!”

*

  
  


What he did end up forgetting that day was asking Hau for his number. Moon ended up punching him on the shoulder, and shit that hurt a lot. But he told her that he was determined to get it at least before he left for college, and she just grumbled in response but respected his decision to not ask her or Lillie for it and wishing to get it himself.

That Thursday was the day of the graduation ceremony, and Gladion lamely held onto the two free invitations that every senior had gotten. They all had gotten them the previous week, and he just kept them inside his drawer for no apparent safekeeping the whole time. But Moon insisted that he bring them the day before so she could take them from his hands.

“I mean, might as well go myself,” she shrugged, waving them in her hands and chewing on a malasada while letting it hang from her mouth. She then let it drop ungracefully on top of her plate. “Someone has to scream out your name when you receive your diploma from Principal Kukui. Did you know he was friends with Guzma back in the day, actually?”

He didn’t know, but frankly he didn’t really care. Though the fact was a bit surprising. “That’s besides the point,” he said, crossing his arms. “You don’t have to come, you know. Don’t feel that you should. Even my own mother isn’t.”

“That’s because you never asked her,” Moon stated as a matter of fact, though her tone became more gentle. “I mean, I know you and Lillie aren’t in exactly good terms with her after what happened and you guys want to avoid being around her as much as possible. But I’m sure she would still consider it.”

“You’ve only really seen her yourself before she got like this,” Gladion said in the same tone. “I just don’t want much to do with her right now. I don’t care if she does come or not. That’s for her to decide.”

Which was a lie. He did care. She was his mother, after all. Just like he had told Hau, he wanted nothing more than for her to see him receive his diploma.

Although Moon was pretty dumb in smarts, she wasn’t in situations like these and was keen as hell. She didn’t believe him at all, but then again Gladion was pretty good when it came to revealing his true emotions somewhere on his facial expression. That, and they’ve been around together for so long that knowing what he was actually thinking came to her naturally.

But she didn’t say anything to retort against his words. Moon took another malasada from the pile, purposely going for the sweet one to get a reaction out of him and to distract him from his thoughts. “So, ten in the morning during school hours?” she said with a mouthful, reading the contents of one of the tickets. “Wow, sucks that the rest of us younger students have to stay in our classrooms. Too bad that won’t apply to me since I’m going to be in the audience!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me that you wanted an invitation just so you don’t have to go to class.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she sang. “Geez, don’t stare at me like that. If my bestie is going to graduate, then of course I have to be there!”

“Just,” he sighed, “don’t embarrass me.”

She grinned mischievously. “Don’t count on that.”

*

  


The whole auditorium was filled with parents, guardians, friends, and other family members that were able to make it or to be there in place of another. Whatever the case, it was packed and full of speech and motions, and Gladion suddenly felt out of place from everyone else.

Though he was sure Lillie and Moon were going to be out there somewhere in the crowd, and he really did not want to get out of his seat and turn around to find them. With that many people, it would take forever finding the two. He would just have to wait until he goes up on stage and listen for Moon’s cry.

Since his last name started with A, he was called up fairly early on. He shook hands with the teachers in line and was soon in front of the principal.

“Guzma did mention his congrats, by the way,” Principal Kukui said while handing the diploma.

Gladion scoffed in response and took the paper with his hands without a word.

“Congratulations, big brother!”

The voice was Lillie’s, and not Moon’s like he anticipated. He turned to the crowd, spotting her instantly in the far back. She held up a megaphone, which he recognized right away as Moon’s that she liked to use during volleyball practice. He looked at the person next to Lillie, expecting Moon to snatch away the megaphone and scream his name herself.

But that wasn’t Moon. Next to Lillie, sitting in her graceful as always position was—

_Mother. She’s smiling._

A random person from some part of the auditorium then screamed “Hurry up and get off the stage!”, snapping Gladion out of his thoughts. A few students were also snickering. He scowled at the direction of the voice and to the assholes and coolly walked back to his seat.

He would confront her after.

*

  
  


Lillie had told him that their mother went back to the house after the ceremony. She then proceeded to tell him that Moon wanted to hang out at the arcade in celebration, but Gladion was already running to their house.

He hadn’t run that fast in a long while, but there was no time for rest. He wanted answers. He swung the door open, already sure that the door was unlocked, and marched straight to the dining room where their mother would always be at.

Indeed, Lusamine was there, except without a glass of wine on the table as there usually was.

“Gladion,” she said once Gladion’s tired panting slowed.

“Why?” he growled harshly. “Why were you there? Why do you suddenly give a crap? How the hell did you get the tickets when I gave them to Moon yesterday?”

Lusamine let out a sigh, expecting the questions. She decided to answer the last one firsthand. “Your sister gave one to me this morning while you were getting ready,” she explained. “Lillie had gotten them from Moon, as I heard you had given them to her.”

“Because Moon was supposed to be there, not you!” He was letting his temper get the better of him. Gladion rubbed his temple in frustration, brushing away his bangs from his face as much as possible to meet her eyes more directly. “What, so Moon had planned this out some way beforehand so she could indirectly give them to you? Why the hell did she think that, when she knows of how we have been the past few months. You know something, so you better tell me what’s going on.”

Lusamine opened her mouth and was about to talk, but they heard the sound of the front door suddenly opening and brisk footsteps heading to their direction.

“Gladion!” That voice— Hau? “I heard from Moon that there was a burglar in your house and she gave me the address to your place so I could help y—”

He stopped talking once he stepped into the occupied room and noticed both son and mother staring at him with confusion, Gladion’s expression showing surprise as well.

“Um,” Hau sheepishly laughed, scratching the side of his head. “Did I come at a bad time? Moon was lying about the burglar, right?”

“Hau,” Lusamine greeted, bowing her head at him. Gladion’s eyes widened in shock. Why was she speaking with familiarity towards Hau. “We have spoken over the phone late last night. So this is what you look like. As I have mentioned, you definitely do seem to be a sweet boy. I was about to explain to my son what was going on.”

“You know, too?” Gladion turned to Hau and placed his hands on his hips. “I don’t care who, but someone better start talking right now.”

“I…” Hau looked down to the floor in shame. “I’m sorry for not telling you, Gladion. You know last Friday when we hung out at the cherry blossom festival? You said that you would have liked it if your parents came to see you. I know I was prying, but I asked Lillie if she could explain to me about your family situation. She was a bit hesitant, but she said that there was a good chance that I would eventually find out everything so she told me what was going on.”

In other words, Lillie was implying if they were going to get together eventually so any family secrets were going to be revealed. Even Lillie had her little devious moments.

“About how your father left you a few months ago,” Hau continued, “and how Miss Lusamine wasn’t in her best condition mentally so you and Lillie would try to avoid her as much as possible. I know I’m still a stranger to your family, but I asked Lillie for your mother’s phone number so I could try convincing her.”

“Sweet Hau had been calling me since the weekend and up to last night. I decided to finally answer his call last night when Lillie messaged me in an urgent manner to pick up. The boy never gave up trying to talk to me.”

“Lillie was a big help,” Hau said, picking his head up to give Gladion a small but warm smile. Which was successful, because Gladion could feel the once seething anger inside himself slowly calming down. “I wanted to thank you. For helping me with my homework, to introducing malasadas to me, to letting me have a lot more fun with all of you, and for the trip to the cherry blossom festival I’ve always wanted to go to. I couldn’t think of any other way to repay you for all that except for trying to grant your wish of wanting Miss Lusamine—your mother to see you graduate.”

Gladion was speechless. This was the most wonderful present he had ever gotten. Was he allowed to just accept this? Wasn’t this too big of a repayment? Neither he nor Lillie had the guts to try and amend things with their own mother, but Hau had done just that without giving in. He had no need to go through such lengths.

“Hau,” Lusamine started. “Thank you for coming all the way here. Please feel free to visit us anytime, but for now I think it is best if my son and I had some time for ourselves to patch our relationship up.”

“Oh, of course!” Hau bowed to his mother and then flashed a grin to Gladion. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Gladion! Thanks for letting me stay a while!”

Once they heard the sound of the door clicking shut, Lusamine turned to her son and smiled knowingly. “Hau is a very kind boy. I can already tell you fancy this one.”

Gladion flushed bright red. “Mom!” he cried out in embarrassment.

It was amazing, honestly, how Hau was able to cause Gladion to say the one word he had been wanting to say for such a long time.

*

  
  
  


All night Gladion had been wracking his brain to figure out a way to repay Hau for helping him get along once again with his mother. Even Lillie had come early from her date with Moon and altogether the three of them enjoyed a pleasant (and heated) game of Monopoly.

He ended up having to call Moon at midnight and asking her for advice, after telling her yesterday’s events. She had admitted to being a part of the plan, and that Hau had been the mastermind behind it all.

“Maybe you should give him your phone number as repayment, since obviously you can’t ask him for his number,” she had said teasingly. “That, and tell him how you feel. If there is one thing to offer that is counted as grand, I would say it’s your own bottled feelings. Exactly why I decided to tell your sister after lamenting over them for so long. It’s the best way to show your gratitude, don’t ya think?”

He had agree with that, so he decided that he would go see Hau at school and confess. Also, screw Hotshot Pretty Boy Ilima. Gladion definitely wasn’t going to lose his chance, especially not when he still had one.

So here he stood the following day, in front of Hau and Moon’s classroom door right before the final bell rang. Good thing the seniors were allowed to go wherever the heck they wanted now that their teachers had no desire to teach for the remainder of the school year.

The bell rang, and his palms started to sweat in reaction. Fuck, what if he was going to get rejected? What if Hau didn’t actually feel anything remotely close to how he felt for Hau? But Moon did also say that even though rejection could be a possibility, confessing was still the best way to show his gratitude.

“The best way to repay him,” Moon’s voice sang to him. Gladion looked up, startled by her suddenly appearing in front of him. “Better not back down, man. He’s about to come out of the classroom. Good luck to you, Wonderboi!”

She waved goodbye, and headed for the junior classrooms to meet with Lillie. Just like she said, Hau was out of the door in a matter of seconds.

“Gladion!” he greeted happily. “Were you waiting for Moon? You just missed her! She stepped out of the classroom before me!”

“No, uh.” God, this was nerve wrecking. His palms were starting to profusely sweat. “I came here to talk to you, actually. I wanted to give you something for all that you’ve done for my family.”

Hau blinked, taken aback. “You don’t have to!” He waved his hands in front of him to emphasize. “I just did all that to repay you. I’m already satisfied with you not getting angry at me for prying into your personal life, haha!”

Gladion shook his head. “It’s my turn to give, and for your turn to take. It’s not anything material, rather just something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while.” Well, here went nothing. If he didn’t go through with this, Moon was definitely going to punch him to the point he would knock out cold. “I… I like you, Hau. A lot. I couldn’t think of any other way to repay you than to tell you my own personal thoughts.”

Hau remained silent with an unreadable expression, which was a bit odd for someone so easily expressive as Hau. Gladion let out the breath he hadn’t been aware he had been holding.

Before he had given up on himself completely, he felt pressure on his hand. Gladion looked down to see that Hau was grabbing on.

“Then as my form of repayment,” Hau paused to meet his eyes and shyly grin, “would it be alright if you be my boyfriend?”

Holy shit. Hau was a master at this game of give-and-take, and was he always this smooth?

Gladion was fumbling with his response, seriously not expecting things to go this great, but he figured he had no need to answer. Hau was already dragging him to the direction of Lillie’s classroom so that the four of them could have a double-date at the malasada shop.

*

  
  


Except later that evening, Hau remembered he forgot that he had cousins who were coming over for the weekend so he was the first one to leave. Lillie left second, already having plans for the evening. “It’s Sophocles’ birthday, so Acerola and I are going to throw him at a party at her place!” So that left Moon and Gladion to head over to the tech shop so Gladion could finally get his long awaited headphones.

She asked him if he had gotten Hau’s number after all that, and Gladion blanched. He knew he was forgetting to do something!

“I’m sure Hau will run to your house during the weekend and say that he forgot to ask you, too,” she said with a tired sigh. “You two are so similar, getting to distracted by each other that much to even remember asking for a phone number. Honestly, I had no idea Hau liked you back, and I’m usually good at telling these things!”

Not that it mattered anymore. At least it wasn’t going to hard getting Hau’s phone number now, and maybe he would consider looking at that long list of emojis. Were there a lot of different heart ones?

“I’m glad you smiling more now, but it’s also fucking creepy.”

He glared at her. “You,” he started hissing, pointing straight beyond the store window and at the full moon shining obnoxiously brightly in the night sky, “should go back to the hell you belong at.”

*

  
  


Earlier in the day in Gladion’s classroom, Mallow, Lana, and Kiawe looked at the box of malasadas that were left on Mallow’s desk. Only a single note that said _‘Thanks for talking about the new malasada shop in the library back then. Though I suggest you control your volume when you go to a college library’_ was attached to the box.

“Who do you think left this?” Lana asked, glancing around their classroom to see if she could pick out some candidates. Definitely not that blond, edgy guy in the back corner. He didn’t seem like the type to ever like sweets, so she ruled him out.

“Beats me,” Mallow said, letting out a dry laugh. “I’m not sure whether to take this note as a form of gratitude or hostility.”

“Oh well, I was kind of hungry anyway.” Kiawe opened up the box and grabbed one of the confections. “Shit, I took the spicy one! Mallow, this one should have been yours!”

“You would think with your kind of hairstyle and fashion, you would be into spicy things,” Lana deadpanned. “You’re just lucky I always carry extra water bottles on me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never even played Overwatch. My only knowledge from it comes from Markiplier and from the Korean variety show Infinity Challenge bc the cast was playing it.
> 
> And yea, Gladion's last name is Aether. Go figure :v


End file.
